All parties hope to win the bypolls of Sira and Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
Bangalore:
The results of the Bihar elections may dominate Indian politics on Tuesday, but Karnataka will look closely for the results of the by-elections in the two assembly seats of Sira in Tumakuru district and Rajarajeshwarinagar in Bangalore.
Karnataka’s three main political parties, the ruling BJP, Congress and the Janata Dal Secular, had put forward candidates for the two seats in the assembly.
In terms of numbers, the results of RR Nagar and Sira will make little difference to the stability of the Karnataka government, given the BJP’s numbers in the House. However, perception and prestige are part of politics, and all parties have campaigned strongly for these two seats.
All state leaders campaigned on the ground, often with little regard for COVID-19 social distancing norms.
Speaking to NDTV, Senior Deputy Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayan said: “We are 100%, 1,000% confident that we will win the elections in Sira and Rajarajeshwarinagar, as well as four elections to the legislative council.”
Congress is equally sure of victory. State Party Chairman DK Shivakumar said: “The Congress party has done everything possible. We are confident that we will win both seats. MLC seats: out of four, three we can win.”
Kusuma H, the widow of the late IAS official DK Ravi, is the Congressional candidate in Rajarajeshwarinagar, while the JDS candidate is V Krishnamurthy. The BJP has deployed former MLA N Munirathna.
In Sira, Congress has tabled former Minister TB Jayachandra against CM Rajesh Gowda of the BJP and Ammajamma of the JDS.
The bypoll in Sira was necessary following the death of JDS legislator B Sathyanarayana in August this year, while RR Nagar’s seat was left vacant following the disqualification of the then MLA N Munirathna Congress under the anti-defection law last year .
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